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It was reported here a couple months ago WCAU's studios at the Comcast Technology Center suffered water damage with the sett having to be demolished. Today at 11AM they debuted a new set in the repaired studio: Watching the replay of the newscast on Peacock, there's a lot of elements that remind me of the NBC Sports RSN set. Like the set it replaces, a seamless 4K screen features as the backdrop behind the news desk. Weather is done in front an almost equally large touch screen. Not sure yet if there is a full weather set. We'll see. Update: so they can change the set colors on the fly. Also there's tons of standup pods around the studio. Finally my question about the weather center was answered. The one from the previous set actually survived and is behind the frosted glass the weather screen is mounted on. You can make it out when they pan in on the screen and you can also catch it in the timelapse.

I'm just going to throw this out there..... With the current state of our government and it's concentration of the financially elite (and the maxed-out state of our current TV ownership situation with their regulatory and financial limitations) Billionaires tied to the FCC could go after TV stations and groups to start pushing out state-controlled propaganda, or through "favorable" companies despite any past indiscretions? It's a potential disaster that could very well happen at this rate. Once they weaken the FCC or bow to their demands, it's all over folks.

Instead, they'll live off of syndicated crap game shows or garbage programming. Hey, someone has to push the trash talkers and court shows on the unwashed masses. (Also, are there actually twelve episodes of Family Feud every day?) Scripted programming is not in the past; it just often ends up on streaming services because the broadcast networks generally only want shows that have the broadest appeal. Sports and reality shows succeed at that, partly because they're focused on physical ability (sports), competition (most reality shows on the networks), or relationship drama (the farmer wants a wife? Good for him, but absolutely none of my business). On the scripted side, these means a lot of procedurals, both police/crime-solving (CSI, NCIS, the entire Dick Wolf multiverse) and medical (The Pitt, Doc, House, etc.). The more intellectually-stimulating scripted shows wouldn't have a chance of being picked up by the broadcast networks, and cable channels are not grabbing as many of them as they used to as they themselves are dumbing their content down to widen their appeal. (Why do you think BBC America shows Law & Order repeats?)

We're getting closer to the days when the local affiliate is no longer necessary for network television. Case in point, my local CBS and CW stations are not on YouTube TV at the moment (but still on the air otherwise). YTTV just pops up a network feed that fills in the local slots with CBS News programming and PSAs, and on the CW, their eastern feed. Given the garbage that passes off as network television these days, I'd prefer a hyper-local station that doesn't have to pre-empt things for whatever crap sports or garbage programming is being sent to the affiliates to run.

Except this is a Scripps station. Nexstar owns WOOD-TV + WOTV + WXSP.

And why are we bumping threads from a year-and-a-half ago?

First Coast News uses Good Morning Jacksonville despite the NBC station being their lead product which simulcasts on ABC. WABC calls its 10am newscast Eyewitness News Mornings at 10, despite Mornings being CBS's AM branding. While it's common practice for local stations to brand their morning newscast in line with the national AM newscast, I don't think it's a requirement or an expectation.

It wasn’t a big deal for Fox because they don’t have a national morning show competing against TODAY. ABC does have a national morning show, GMA, who often is neck and neck with the TODAY show in the ratings. That’s the difference here. Also, the morning program on 6 used to be referred to as NBC6 News Today in South Florida.

37 years. What a legacy. What a host. I know this is something we never post but it's TV and broadcasting overall so I'm posting it here. Move it somewhere else if it needs to be. After a 37 year run at QVC, one of its most signature hosts of the shopping network, Mary Beth Roe, has called it a career. While not an overall household name like say Guy Fieri or Rachael Ray, Mary Beth was still a beloved host for the network and you can tell by all the love she received on her last broadcast. This is her last broadcast in full, a two-hour special:

Gray has conflicts in Atlanta and charlotte. Nexstar conflict in Dayton Any chance Hearst jumps on this? Good chance to get some pretty good assets…conflicts in Boston, Pittsburgh, and Orlando would need to be divested, but that should be easy.

barring a hurricane visit, 16 months is probably doable. WPLG started construction in October '07 and was on air in March 2009. besides, it's not like that building is a complex work of art, it's a tarted up concrete box made from precast panels on a slab. 60-90 days for the shell is probably very realistic. Getting the other stuff done will eat most of the time.

Have a feeling when ABC's aboard, WSVN, when it comes to their newscasts, might be a bit more judicial when it comes to nat'l stories mixing in ABC along with CNN moreso than currently constitued btn. FOX & CNN. Also with this affiliation change, Miami joins Phoenix (KTVK) having both Jeopardy! & WoF on a non-network affiliated/independent station.

Well, hopefully construction is underway and that they do it fast, or make it a 24/7 operation (outside of hurricanes and whatnot). The 70th anniversary is July 29th, 2026. That's almost 16 months away.

WSVN is likely not for sale for the forseeable future. We would be reading a very different news releases right now if it were. ABC just didn't want Scripps' alsoran station, and liked what Sunbeam offered. The renewal with FOX is coming up spring 2027, maybe Sunbeam is hedging its options just in case. WPLG will try and give it a go alone copying what WHDH did in Boston but don't nobody be shocked to hear they're for sale As far as construction of the new building for WSVN - people think they were in a rush to move but the new studio was always contingent on the big project accross the street being approved first, and the city didn't take the last vote on that till 11/2024. Ansin siad he wants employees to have somewhere to go, which makes sense many of them live in Miami Shores and the beach for years, they're used to having nice places to visit and Miramar isn't exactly hot, hip and happening. The goal, as I've been told, is to be in by the station's 70th anniversary so they can tie it all up and make a big deal out of it. nah they don't distance themselves. It's a branding decision since the switch days. Currently WSVN airs FOXNews Sunday at 9AM, it used to be on at 4AM Mondays right before Today in Florida. And during the Iraq war they heavily promoted being attached to FOX News. They actually make use of and mention FNC more now than they ever have, and last I was told they're still part of the CNN pool/NewsSource or whatever that's called. Similarly, WHDH referred to itself as '7NBC' only when they mentioned NBC shows during a newscast. Come 2009 when they went HD, the peacock was completely gone from the WHDH open.

So, I actually think there might be something here. Maybe. It's a hunch. Maybe I'm wrong! But, allow me to speculate for a moment. WSVN is in a very unique situation right now. They have plans to build a brand new facility, and their current owners are developing the real estate for both the current facility and the future one. They own the land at both sites, in fact, the future facility is on empty land they've held for years, and the current facility is on land they want to develop into expensive condos. The condo development wouldn't be planned if they didn't think it would make money, and it will probably make enough to pay for the new WSVN facility several times over. This whole new facility project has always had the underlying motive of Sunbeam wanting the station off the current land because they see the value in it, and they have a lot of empty land in Miramar that they can plop it on, to get it out of the way. The common saying is "Disney doesn't buy stations", but there should be an asterisk there. Disney doesn't buy stations because Bob Iger is convinced most are overpriced. Sunbeam has a very interesting position here. Their primary business is, at this point, property development. Building a building just to lease it out is what they do. It seems to me, like they could be in a position to sell WSVN at a "discount", with the remainder being more or less made up via a long-term lease on the new facility. This would be a huge win for Sunbeam. They can develop land that has sat idle for years, and have it immediately start making money, from a tenant that you really wouldn't have to worry about going bankrupt. They'd still make money off the station for years to come, and best of all, it'd be a predictable amount. It is notable that, despite the project being announced some time ago, the parcel the new facility will sit on was untouched as late as October of last year, over a year after it was announced and approved by the city. What's the delay? The fact we're hearing about this now means there's probably been talks about this for months. I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that Sunbeam put the brakes on the project in order to provide the ability to any possible future owner (I think FOX is also in play here) to make changes before the construction begins. I'm not sure we're done hearing about this "deal"... I don't think Disney would settle for a .2, if there weren't other things in the works. I've been saying since the new facility was announced that this seems ripe for them to sell the station and make money off the lease, and this seems to be the perfect opportunity to do so.

WSVN has formally announced the adding of ABC to its affiliation lineup on the air. WPLG also announced the ending of its ABC affiliation on TV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF4ISfI7QJU

You beat me to it. Syndicated options aren't much better. Cheap Byron Allen Court shows like The Verdict with Judge Hatchett, countless Family Feud reruns, Pictionary? Some stations have stooped as low as having paid programming blocks on weekdays. I totally agree that all the good stuff is on streaming while broadcast primetime goes for the generic procedural types. When I overcome my cynicism and actually watch some broadcast primetime shows they're not half bad. ABC's Doctor Odyssey for example. The problem is, shows like that don't encourage me to give them a chance to begin with, because they look like recycled crap.

Whenever Fox starts their streaming service (and since WITI is Fox-owned, they basically carry everything non-network outside the TMZ shows and Fox First Run filler on FoxLocal...and said filler is on Tubi anyways) and Disney decides to offer an ABC feed to Hulu subscribers without a Live TV add-on, it feels like we're marching towards that inevitability. And unless you're a Harvey-era Feud superfan who must watch all 12 episodes offered daily, why does the CW need stations in the first place outside of propping Perry's ego? I can get NBC through Peacock and CBS through Paramount+ and if Spectrum gets tired of paying Scripps more money for "YouTube playlist" news and advertorials, I'd be fine if those stations go away. TV stations really just need to get into a 50s radio mindset and begin to adjust to a world where scripted programming is in the past and the networks will only offer reality, news and sports content from hereon out. That seems to be WPLG's mindset now, where there's little upside when ABC seems to be spending less on affiliates and more on being a barker channel for Disney+ and Hulu.

I didn't see WPLG losing ABC to WSVN I guess ABC or Scripps didn't want ABC on WSFL which would have to build a newsroom from the bottom up and their woes as a hole at Scripps HQ. WSVN was ABC's better choice in Miami in my opinion on a subchannel, and maybe FOX moves in Miami when the deal comes up with WSVN in the next few years maybe FOX buys WPLG or stays with WSVN.

Cox has some good stations, WSB among them. I would hate to see Nexstar ( which according to those who work in the industry pays the lowest) come in and cheapen those stations. I wouldn't mind Hearst taking over. I've heard part of the reason why Hearst has such a good reputation is that it doesn't endlessly acquire stations like the other groups, so it isn't spread too thin. Moreover, they have assets outside of television, so they aren't solely dependent on tv revenue.

isn't sports the only thing keeping linear TV in general afloat? In STL, would ABC be happier on a subchannel of KSDK, KTVI, KPLR, or KMOV instead of a station with no news dept? But maybe Sinclair has more leverage than Scripps

Bingo. Correct. I believe WSVN started their morning news in 1983 as Today in Florida at 6:30 a.m., six years before they would later lose NBC.

That shouldn't matter. WSVN still uses Today in Florida which (correct me if I'm wrong) was a title it got during its NBC affiliation days. WTVJ calls their AM newscast NBC 6 News Today to differentiate. It's ironic that WSVN is often called the model Fox affiliate despite distancing itself from the Fox brand. Yes the business is changing... but as people have said before, I don't see ABC being content on a sub channel long-term in a top 20 market. If this were a smaller market, the CW or My Network TV, perhaps. We may be looking at another shake up in the next few years.

I also wonder if the ABC sub channel does indeed simulcast the newscasts, is the network gonna be all right with the morning program, Today in Florida, having the TODAY name in it?

I don’t think this is gonna be a forever thing. I don’t think ABC is gonna like being on a digital subchannel. Again this would be understandable if Miami was a smaller market but I have a feeling something else is in the works for WSVN and Sunbeam. I just don’t see it lasting for long give this till 2028 and we’ll see what happens. Yeah FOX I don’t know if this will sit well with them. One scenario could be FOX ends up purchasing WPLG. And WSVN becomes a full time ABC affiliate in fact I’ll go further not just do they become a full timer but Sunbeam their owner also affiliates their Boston station WHDH with ABC. Meaning that Boston current affilate WCVB becomes independent. Most likely they buy WSFL that give WSVN a duopoly.

When WSVN does air a FOX News package for national news, the reporters towards the end always say 7 News, not FOX News. They only showcase and say the FOX brand when FOX is on.

KOAT just got the updated Hearst open that was introduced last summer, but they still use the old open after the first commercial break.

I don't know if it was ABC being wary of Scripps or more that Scripps doesn't feel like forking over more reverse comp for another ABC affiliation.

Their brand is far more (I know this is no longer reality) <Scott Chapin voice> 7 News </Scott Chapin voice> than anything else with the word Fox in it. So that’s not a huge deal. At the end of the day, when there’s an impasse with BH/WPLG and ABC, Mickey Mouse decided getting some money from an established Sunbeam WSVN operation on a .2 benefited them more than the cost of them establishing or supporting some other broadcast company scrambling for a solution for ABC to air on a much lesser known UHF OTA PSIP .1 and that station would be short on programming to fill off network hours. The network affiliate is a smaller piece of the viewership pie than it was, so Disney/ABC will take the money they can get from linear TV while it still has some value to them rather than spend to build their own as streaming tries to run out the clock in its fight against broadcast. Sunbeam saw a viable path to a second substantial South Florida revenue stream with minimal effort at least to start on a few months notice in a TV business reality of limited syndicated programming and less of it available every season. It’s an almost turnkey operation for weekdays if you just run ABC programming and 7news/Deco Drive simulcasts. I believe the only current gaps between the start of World News Now and the end of Nightline would be 3 to 4pm and 7 to 7:30pm. Even if they run the cheapest paid programming in those slots, it’s still revenue they weren’t generating before. WPLG’s plan come August is the most fascinating current unknown to the public part of this to watch moving forward.

I get the impression that all ABC cares about is WSVN's ability and willingness to pay the reverse compensation.

Whoa, this is a... shocking (dis)affiliation news. Considered the strong position of WPLG in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market but again this is TV business. Just like WJXT and CBS separation two decades earlier. Still, congrats to Sunbeam and WSVN for landing ABC on their subchannel.

Is there any syndication that isn’t currently airing in Miami? WPLG only has Kelly & Mark, Wheel, Jeopardy and 48 Hours. Yes, they’ll add a lot of news — like 7-9a and in primetime — but they are going to need to make several pickups to fill in the holes. (Hopefully no crappy Byron Allen court shows!)

I kinda forget about Scripps' current financial issues, thanks for reminding me. I do agree, it's probably for the best that Disney/ABC looked for something more stabilized, even given the limited standalone options in Miami.

Given the current financial situation at the Lighthouse, I could see Disney steering clear for calmer waters. If Scripps goes down, it's pandora's box who will end up with what. At least with WSVN they know what they are getting into.

ABC being relegated to subchannel-only status in Miami of all places sounds like the biggest lateral move ever.

CNBC Said on air early today, that most of the cable networks mentioned, especially MSNBC were loosing money. And that according to comcast, MSNBC has been loosing money for quite some time.

Looks like WPLG debuted their new set this midday

That WMAQ press release all but confirms that Evrod Cassimy has permanently moved to weekday mornings, and that they have no immediate replacement for him on weekend evenings. Seems like that's been a rotation of reporters, for the last several weeks.

Desk is nice, set is in line with their previous abstract looks but it still sucks. What is that shape? South FL? Too many video walls, way to common of a trend on tv now. Welp, at least its better than their early 2010s set The one positive is that the dark lighting masks their previously cheap looking HD. It's also better than the overly fluorescent lighting on TV these days. Other Graham stations looks way better. Wish they drew inspiration from these and added a tropical Florida touch.

What’s with the animated flames?? Is that really necessary???

Looks like one of those news set stock images my middle school used for a green screen, what the heck is that desk?

Video from Kelly Werthmann's Facebook page. The whole set is not shown but here's part of it. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1862772737494478&__cft__[0]=AZUnmeVBfxIZzj7rOdlEwusXGc-tX0Rh38nDqrnno7FbYQguGwwynarQh2gv8i_GjDDrTnNQ_72VSVdbM02KJK6Fm1_hC2v4P34eQ0uILP0k3PgZfDy1T4H6TwDOiCj66kA1X4JDHputQW4hMJN69grzL8iihfhBlfMcLdwF7sAwzO7AXAgYGs2ajzWMZzX06Yg&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R]-R

That's not the new set – that's a temporary setup in their second 'studio.' That's their newsdesk and looks like one of the walls of the soon-to-be-replaced set with a new wrap on it. I would expect they'll get something pretty similar to the KCAL set.

agreed. We need warmer lighting in this Hi Def era. Cold washed out lighting looks horrendus on HD screens.

The set looks fantastic. Its the drab lighting plan that really lets it down and make the talent look flat. And the cold temperature/colour makes skin tones and wood tones look dead. I think this set would look great if they re-lit it. Its really goes to show a great set can look terrible if its lit badly. Goodness.

Gray renewed all their current CBS affiliates in the fall of 2021. However, this was before the Meredith merger and those stations are likely on a prior agreement.

KPIX will need to ramp up and hire more staff including at least 2 more meteorologists and will be competing heavy with KRON of PIX decides to go the KCAL route.

KRON and WPHL are kinda givens (as is WTTA to answer @AdamTheJ’s question), since Nexstar owns 75% of The CW and owns those stations. You also left out the Hearst-leased One Magnificent Morning block.